MP3: Picastro

Toronto's Picastro are making the best kind of hypnotizing music. Hortur, from the band's new album Whore Luck, is slow and abstract, but with a sharp focus. The strings glide in over the top of the music and the piano provides a dry backbone to the melody. Then the vocals mesmerize the song.

MP3: Picastro

MP3: Clockcleaner

For fans of the Jesus Lizard and Amphetimine Reptile Records... Clockcleaner picks up where these movements left off, offering a modern-day take and the dry and dark sounds of amplified distortion. Want to wake yourself up out of a day-to-day slumber? Try Clockcleaner and get your (er) clock cleaned. Not for the faint of heart.

MP3: Clockcleaner

Free the MP3: Deerhoof Release New MP3 Album

Deerhoof have released a free MP3 album of live performances, outtakes, remixes, and covers. It's currently being offered on the Kill Rock Stars web site.

"OK it's been too long since we offered anything free on our page! Here is an mp3 album, live and goodies. I don't know how long we can keep these up here, I might recommend downloading now and asking questions later. Play back with 0 seconds pause between songs..." said the band on their web site.

You can also check them out on tour when they play with some really big names: Bloc Party, Smoosh, and an incredible London show with Liars, Deerhunter, Black Lips as part of All Tomorrow's Parties Release The Bats festival.

Check out more tour dates below.

MP3: Deerhoof


Deerhoof Tour Dates:
sep 21 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live (w/ J Versus and Bloc Party)
sep 22 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues (w/ J Versus and Bloc Party)
sep 23 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom (w/ Smoosh and Bloc Party)
sep 25 - Nashville, TN - City Hall (w/ Smoosh and Bloc Party)
sep 26 - Covington, KY - Madison Theatre (w/ Smoosh and Bloc Party)
sep 28 - Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum (w/ Smoosh and Bloc Party)
sep 29 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Center (w/ Smoosh and Bloc Party)
sep 30 - Pontiac, MI - Eagle Theater
oct 01 - Madison, WI - Memorial Union Rathskellar
oct 02 - Minneapolis, MN - McGuire Theater at Walker Arts Center
oct 03 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
oct 06 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
oct 19 - Reykjavik, Iceland - Iceland Airwaves
nov 02 - London, UK - Release The Bats @ The Forum (w/ Liars, Deerhunter, Black Lips, and more)

Siouxsie Sioux Goes Solo

Siouxsie Sioux releases her much anticipated solo album 'Mantaray' on Monday.

Outsider Ice Queen Siouxsie Sioux is up there with all the other rock legends of our time. Having performed for the first time with her exhibitionist experimentalist band Siouxsie & the Banshees in 1976, with Sid Vicious on drums, this Sioux has snowballed to greater things each time. Perhaps it was the influence of the London Bromley suburbs, or was it the influence of Velvet Underground, Can, Bowie or J.G. Ballard. No matter, on tour the gender bending Banshees soon built up a large following scoring them their 1st top ten hit in 1978 with Hong Kong Garden. Those were the early days. What followed now was 17 years of material recorded under the Banshees moniker but also as The Creatures with then husband and drummer Budgie.

And now? Siouxsie Sioux finally makes her solo 10 track debut that portrays an a unique sense of personal freedom that ranges from an industrial stomp to electronic mutterings and glam affairs of the heart. Lyrical themes on the album include disappointment, distrust and despair, but overlying this is a warmth of spirit. The track listing is as follows:

1. Into A Swan
2. About To Happen
3. Here Comes That Day
4. Loveless
5. If It Doesn't Kill You
6. One Mile Below
7. Drone Zone
8. Sea Of Tranquilty
9. They Follow You
10. Heaven And Alchemy

Radio 1 Gets 40th Anniversary Party

The BBC's Radio1 is celebrating it's 40th anniversary by putting a number of people behind the microphone, including Paul Oakenfold, Paul Weller, Paul McCartney, and just so it doesn't become a complete PaulFest, they're including people like the Arctic Monkeys and Elijah Wood.

The party goes down starting on September 17th and continues on until September 30th, with Elijah wood closing it out with a tribute to John Peel titled Keeping It Peel.

Bestival Announces Set Times

After selling all of their tickets back in May, the U.K.'s Bestival looked set to take over Isle of Wight on September 7th. Now they've released their plan of attack complete with set times, in one handy PDF guide.

The festival features names like Coldcut, Electrelane, the Gossip, Primal Scream, The Go! Team, The Orb and more. They've even got an an inflatable church and Bollywood Bar.

Get more updates on the world's coolest music festivals on the Spacelab Guide To Music Festivals.

Band of Horses Release Is There A Ghost MP3

Dark and dry, just like every bit of of Band of Horses music we've heard in the past. That's a good thing. Somehow these guys cold compress their sound into a sweet package of BOH sonification everytime, I swear it's magic...

The new single sees the boys not missing a thing since the departure of Mat Brooke last year. They worked with Phil Elk who also helped out with 2006's Everything All The Time. Is There A Ghost is part their upcoming Cease To Begin album, due out on October 9th via Sub Pop Records.

MP3: Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost

Stars Release Video for Take Me To The Riot

The Stars upcoming release of In Our Bedroom After The War features a DVD of video goods that include a documentary of the band, with interviews and live performances. The whole band experience, you know? It was shot when the band toured in support of their Set Yourself on Fire album.

Also out now is their new video for Take Me To The Riot, directed by Benjamin Weinstein.

Video: Take Me To The Riot

LeLoup Gets Blips on New MP3

Boasting 8 members and a dedicated group of design peeps centered around production, photography and PR, the Washington DC-based band is the second band to sign to the Hardly Art label.

Before you think they're just about image, consider this... they consider themselves a collective of artists and musicians. The band is finishing their new album The Throne of the Heaven of the Third Nations' Millennium General Assembly.

Indie pop meets blips on their new single We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!

MP3: LeLoup

Animal Collective Start Tour Today

With Strawberry Jam coming out next week, Animal Collective have jumped out on tour. The music for this album was actually started two years ago, so it would be interesting to hear what the band is actually working on right now. Animal Collective really is one of those ahead of its time bands, so right now they're probably developing the sounds that other bands will be copying in 2010.

The songs were written in international hot spots like New York, Lisbon, Paris and Baltimore (who knew?) by Avey Tare and Panda Bear, with the rest of the band adding a more complete sound as they all hooked up to work through the music.

The band recorded the album at the Wavelab in Tucson with Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective) as the producer, then headed back to Brooklyn for the final mixdown with Nicholas Vernhes at the Rare Book Room. Strawberry Jam is due for release on September 10th via Domino Records. Their Peacebone EP is out now.

MP3: Panda Bear
MP3: Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan


Animal Collective Tour Dates
09-05 - the Avalon - Boston, Massachusetts
09-06 - Le National - Montreal
09-07 - Bronson Centre Theater - Ottowa
09-08 - Phoenix Toronto
09-09 - Oberlin College - Oberlin, Ohio
09-10 - Vic Theater - Chicago, Illinois
09-11 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, Minnesota
09-14 - Neumos - Seattle, Washington
09-15 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver
09-16 - Roseland Theater - Portland, Oregon
09-17 - the Fillmore - San Francisco, California
09-18 - Henry Fonda Theater - Los Angeles
09-20 - the Rialto Theater - Tuscon, Arizona
09-21 - club 101 - EL PASO, Texas
09-22 - Emos - Austin, Texas
09-23 - Bricktown Ballroom - Norman, Oklahoma
09-24 - Gargoyle Club - St. Louis, Missouri
09-25 - Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, Tennessee
09-26 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Georgia
09-27 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, North Carolina
09-28 - 9:30 Club - Washington, Washington DC
09-29 - Starlight Ballroom - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
09-30 - Webster Hall - New York, New York
10-01 - Webster Hall - New York, New York
10-15 - Debaser Medis - Stockholm, Sweden
10-16 - Jon Dee - Oslo, Norway
10-17- Loppen - Copenhagen, Denmark
10-18 - Festaal Kreutzurgh - Berlin, Germany
10-19 - Cologne, Germany
10-20 - Theatre Place - St Gallen, Switzerland
10-22 - Uebel und Gefaehrlich - Hamburg, Germany
10-24 - Cabaret Sauvage - Paris, France
10-26 - Botanique-Orangerie - Brussels, Belgium
10-28 - Wilde Theatre - Reading, UK
10-29 - St George's Church - Brighton, UK
10-30 - Trinity - Bristol, UK
11-01 - Astoria - London, UK
11-03 - New Century Hall - Manchester, UK
11-04 - Tripod - Dublin, UK
11-05 - Irish Center - Leeds, UK
11-06 - Ora Mor - Glasgow, UK

CMJ Marathon Announces (Yet Even) More Bands

These guys ain't messin' around. With serious velocity, the CMJ peeps have been spinning out band names for the 2007 CMJ Marathon, and the newset names include Clockcleaner, Deerhunter (the foursome!), Octopus Project, Fog, Le Loup, St. Vincent, and a lot more.

Black Dice Set Fall Shows

Black Dice are moving quickly towards their October 23rd release of Load Blown, and have announced a set of shows for November in support of the album. They've just recently signed to Paw Tracks to release the album, so Animal Collective's collection grows larger.

Their live experience is nothing short of mind-blowing as you can see in this video from a FatCat Records showcase...

MP3: Black Dice

Black Dice Tour Dates
11-01 Boston, MA - Nom D'Artiste
11-02 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
11-03 Toronto, Ontario - Sneaky Dee's
11-04 Detroit, MI - Scrummage University
11-05 Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theatre
11-06 Minneapolis, MN - Soo Visual Arts Center
11-09 Seattle, WA - Neumos Crystal Ballroom
11-12 San Francisco, CA - 12 Galaxies
11-22 Philadelphia, PA - Vacuum
11-23 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom

Minus The Bear Add More Dates For Global Tour

Minus The Bear might just never make it back home. They've gone on a tour bender, and keep adding dates to a tour that now extends into December. They're playing with bands like Subtle, Ela, and Helio Sequence based on location.

Minus The Bear was formed members of Kill Sadie, Botch, and Sharks Keep Moving. They set out on Seattle at the turn of the century and were eventually signed by Suicide Squeeze Records.

They're touring in support of the newly released Planet Of Ice. The album is the follow-up to 2005's Menos el Oso and is their third album to date.

MP3: Minus The Bear


Minus The Bear Tour Dates
09-23 - Spokane, WA - Service Station
09-24 - Missoula, MT - The Badlander
09-27 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
09-28 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop (2 shows)
09-29 -- Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel
09-30 - Buffalo, NY - Tralf Music Hall
10-01 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
10-03 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
10-04 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
10-05 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
10-06 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-07 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
10-08 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
10-10 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10-11 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
10-12 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
10-13 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
10-14 - Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone
10-15 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
10-16 - Tallahasse, FL - The Moon
10-18 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10-19 - Austin, TX - Emo's
10-20 - Houston, TX - Numbers
10-21 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Showroom
10-23 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
10-24 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theatre
10-25 - Sauget, IL (St. Louis, MO) - Pop's
10-27 - Minneapolis, MN -- First Avenue
10-28 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
10-29 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
10-31 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
11-01 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
11-02 - San Diego, CA - Soma
11-03 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon Hollywood
11-04 - Pomona, CA - Glass House
11-06 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
11-08 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-09 - Bellingham, WA - Viking Union (WWU)
11-10 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
12-06 - Yeovil, UK - Orange Box
12-07 - Cardiff, UK - Ifor Bach
12-08 - Milton Keynes, UK - The Pitz
12-09 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
12-10 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
12-11 - Leeds, UK - Cockpit
12-12 - Glasgow, UK - King Tut's
12-13 - Manchester, UK - Academy 3
12-14 - Birmingham, UK - Barfly
12-15 - Oxford, UK, - Zodiac
12-17 - Portsmouth, UK - Wedgewood Rooms
12-18 - Colchester, UK - Arts Centre
12-20 - London, UK - Mean Fiddler

Arthur & Yu Get Tour Dates With Iron & Wine, Great Lake Swimmers

Iron & Wine and Arthur & Yu and you too, if you go to one of the shows. Next week Seattle's Arthur & Yu head off to Japan for some quick shows before coming back to the U.S. for a number of shows in September and October, with Iron & Wine and Great Lake Swimmers.

Arthur & Yu have a sort of retroactive nostalgia for a time when folk was everything, and they take to it in a minimalist-indie rock sort of way. Their new album In Camera was recently released on Hardly Art.

MP3: Arthur & Yu
MP3: Iron & Wine

Arthur & Yu Tour Dates
09-11 - Tokyo, Japan - O-Nest (w/Grand Hallway)
09-13 - Nagoya, Japan - Tokuzo (w/Grand Hallway)
09-14 - Kyoto, Japan - Urbanguild (w/Grand Hallway)
09-23 - Chicago, IL - Metro (w/Iron & Wine)
09-25 - Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Music Hall (w/Iron & Wine)
09-26 - Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis (w/Iron & Wine)
09-27 - Boston, MA - The Orpheum Theater (w/Iron & Wine)
09-28 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater (w/Iron & Wine)
09-29 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w/Iron & Wine)
09-30 - New York, NY - Town Hall (w/Iron & Wine)
10-02 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-03 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-04 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-06 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-09 - Dallas, TX - The Cavern (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-10 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-12 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-13 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-14 - San Francisco, CA - Café du Nord (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-16 - Portland, OR - Holocene (w/Great Lake Swimmers)
10-17 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern (w/Great Lake Swimmers)